Diabettr Articles

News: Shift to Weight Loss for Treating T2 Diabetes

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The study suggests that treatment forT2 diabetes should start focusing on weight loss, which is shift from the current focus on blood sugar.

Study Background

A recent study was published in the medical journal The Lancet supporting a shift in how Type 2 Diabetes should be treated. The research suggests a more weight-centric approach, rather than just focusing on glycaeima (glucose in the blood).

The study was conducted by an international panel from the University of Texas Southwest Medical Center, Univ. of Melbourne, the Diabetes Complications Research Centres in Ireland, and others. They reviewed clinical evidence spanning over 30 years related to weight loss, obesity and other terms in combination with T2 diabetes.

Study Findings

exercise

A key finding was the clear benefits of weight loss seen across the diseases of weight-related T2 diabetes.

The study found that the benefits of weight loss extends beyond just blood sugar to also include other improvements. This included reversing microvascular complications such as in the eyes, kidneys or nerves.

Another key finding was that studies on intensive lifestyle interventions showed strong data related to blood sugar control and even reversing the severity of diabetes.

Such studies support the benefits of losing more than 10% of bodyweight on the disease process of type 2 diabetes, diabetes-related endpoints, and complications in the long term, including cardiovascular events.


Ildiko Lingvay, Priya Sumithran, Ricardo V Cohen, Carel W le Roux. Obesity management as a primary treatment goal for type 2 diabetes: time to reframe the conversation. The Lancet, 2021

Study Conclusion

The research concludes by proposing a new way to treat Type 2 diabetes. Setting a principal treatment goal of weight loss of at least 15% of body weight.

They believe that this goal is most likely to disrupt the disease course of T2 diabetes than smaller losses. And that this change would recognize that obesity complications are reversible and requires a shift in clinical care.

Our Opinion

The study is encouraging because it asks medical providers to focus on weight-loss, not just blood sugar, as a key goal for Type 2 diabetes treatment.  And it shows the data is clear that lifestyle interventions benefit blood sugar control and even remission of T2 diabetes.

Because the study’s audience is for medical providers, it’s likely that providers will try to achieve weight loss goals through medications.  (In fact, the study explored current and developing medications effective for weight loss.)

We don’t discourage or disagree with taking medications. And you should always consult your care provider with questions. But knowing that providers may suggest medication to treat weight loss may be something to consider.

Our goal at DiaBettr to help you with lifestyle changes to manage diabetes so you can rely on less medication.  You can read more about us here (link)

We think this study aligns with our approach and is a good sign of the healthcare industry taking a more holistic approach to treating Type 2 diabetes.

3 Things Stopping Your Diabetes Self-Care

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Living with Type 2 diabetes (T2DM) is not easy. And proper self-care suffers when we deal with busyness of work, family and life. Here are the common reasons we’ve heard stopping self-care and what you can do about it.

“There’s a lot going on in my life right now”

Stressful jobs, busy households, and a dozen other thing can distract us from our health. But if you’re reading this, you likely know that putting off T2DM self-care can have serious consequences.

If left uncontrolled, high blood sugar levels (hyperglycemia) can lead to severe complications affecting your eyes, kidneys, nerves and others. And adding other stressors can lead you to produce more blood sugar and can make your T2D worse.

What you can do:  Block off time in your day for self-care.  Start small (30 minutes) and just do one task. Things like logging your glucose level, planning tomorrow’s meal, or a quick exercise. Rocket jumps (which we wrote about here) are a great exercise option since it burns tons of calories in only a few minutes.

After a week or so, increase the time or add other tasks.  For example, give yourself 30 days to reach at least 1 hour a day of self-care (can split throughout the day).

The key is to set realistic goals.  If you make it at the first shot, great! If not, just adjust your time or activity and try again. Taking small steps will makes it easier for self-care to be part of your daily routine.

“Too many things to keep track of”

Between figuring out what to eat, taking medication and checking blood sugar – there can be a lot to keep track of.

The tasks can become inconvenient, fatigue sets in and people eventually stop.  But remember, these are important and often recommended by your health care provider.

What you can do: Prioritize your tasks and keep it simple.  When you commit to self-care (see above) use that time for high priority tasks first – such as taking medication or checking blood glucose levels (which is important in case an insulin dose adjustment is needed) – then add tasks when you’re able to.

But keep things simple!  If you need to exercise, focus on 1 or 2 exercises. That’s it. Then add another routine or more time when able to.  For meals, stock up on 3-5 proteins and vegetables and base your cooking around those. You’ll save time when buying groceries and by learning how to cook those meals faster. Use a slow-cooker or crockpot and you can save even more time!  (We have post on meal planning hacks you can read here.)

Also, look into technology to make things easier or efficient. There are smartphone apps to track glucose levels and medications, and can set reminders. There’s also “smart” insulin pens and glucometers that sync up to your smartphone. We use our smartphones for pretty much everything so use it to help you get prioritized.

“Self-care is too hard or unenjoyable”

Living with diabetes is not easy and we understand that. Restricted diets, exercising and regular medication is not fun. But remember, you’re not alone!

What you can do: Get family and close friends involved. Have your spouse keep you accountable with dieting. Ask them to keep restricted foods away or even help make meals. If you have kids in the house, have them join you for a brisk walk or a bike ride. There’s also a lot of websites with tasty recipes with the diabetic in mind. And plenty of YouTube videos on exercise you can do at home (stay tuned for a DiaBettr post on this topic).

Just start with simple recipes and exercises so you don’t overwhelm yourself. Plus having family and friends join in can make things more enjoyable!

Summary

We know living with Type 2 diabetes is not easy. But try to commit some time, set realistic goals and get other things involved – and you can take a big step to controlling Type 2 diabetes.

Review: Portions Master Portion Control Plate

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Portion control is a great way to lose weight and help people with diabetes manage blood sugar levels. But we know it’s not easy because of the extra time to measure food or count calories. Well, Portions Master’s Portion Plate tool is designed to portion your meals and is claimed to make weight loss “easy as 1-2-3.” We did an in-depth review and looked at convenience, durability, and cost to see if it actually lives up to its claim.

Portions Master Portion Plate

Pros

  • Easy way to portion control
  • Lightweight and portable
  • Easy to clean
  • No need to buy new plates

Cons

  • Some foods don’t fit well

Product Description

The Portion Plate by Portions Master (PM) is a portion control tool with compartments for vegetables, protein and carbohydrates. To use, simply put it on your plate and place food in the compartment.

The default portion sizes will fill half your plate with vegetables, and about a quarter of your plate each with carbohydrate and protein. Turning the dial makes the compartments smaller if you want to eat fewer calories, which you can set to ‘goal weights’ listed on the tool. But no matter if you adjust down or up, the vegetables section is always the large portion which helps with healthy eating.

It’s made of two-pieces of lightweight plastic. The blue piece has the portion sections and the gray piece is what turns to make the portion sizes smaller or bigger. And the two pieces are attached in the middle and come apart easily.

Portion Control and Weight Loss

So why do you need a tool to help portion meals? To put simply, weight loss is about creating a calorie deficit: eat less calories than your body needs, and the body starts using fat for energy. The idea behind portion control is to limit the amount of calories you eat so you create a calorie deficit that leads to weight loss.

Portion control is effective because most people eat more food than they actually need. The standard American meal is full of high-calorie processed ingredients with a large serving size.

But portion control can be hard to do. It often means measuring food, using a food scale, reading nutrition labels or calorie counting. The PM portion control tool is meant to solve all this by making portion control simple.

Our Experience with the Portion Plate

The DiaBettr team tested the Portions Master’s portion control plate with a few different dishes.

We wanted to see how the portion control tool worked with common ingredients and dishes that are easy to make. So we made baked chicken thigh for the protein section, white rice and corn for carbs, and steamed broccoli and cauliflower for vegetables.

What We Like

The first thing we really liked is that that the tool’s food group portion sizes match closely to the plate method for people with diabetes.

The American Diabetes Association recommended plate method for people with diabetes is to fill a 9-inch plate with 50% vegetables, 25% carbs and 25% protein. This is almost identical to the portion sizes used by PM portion control tool. And it even measures just at 9-inches just like the plate method.

Planning meals that work for diabetic meal patterns can be very hard. Not only do people with type 2 diabetes have to limit carbs but also have to limit calories because obesity is common with diabetes.

This tool is a great option for people with diabetes because it gives a healthy portion of veggies, carbs and protein, while keeping the carbs low to help lower or manage blood sugar levels.

Lightweight and Portable

The product is made of lightweight, BPA free plastic. It does feel slightly flimsy but we weren’t worried about it breaking. It has enough flex to help prevent it from cracking easily or breaking if you drop it on the floor (which we tried).

And because it’s lightweight, you can take it with you to restaurants or even vacations where it’s easy to overeat. This may sound a bit silly but if you’re serious about weight loss, bringing this portion control tool will help you stay on track wherever you go.

Easy to Use and Clean

The PM tool is very easy to use and clean. Each compartment is clearly labeled with each food group. The instructions on the packaging are easy to understand, though you don’t really need to read them because the product is so simple to use.

Cleaning is also super simple. It’s dishwasher safe and the compartments are big enough to clean by hand with no problem.

Use for Meal Planning

The PM plate is also great for prepping dishes ahead of time. For people with diabetes, meal planning is a great life hack to control carb intake for each meal.

Prepare a large batch of vegetables, protein and carbs, use the PM tool for proper food portions, then store. You can have pre-made meals for days, not worry about portion size, and save time during your week.

What We Don’t Like

One thing to be aware of is it may take extra time or prep to completely fit food in the portion sizes. You’ll likely have to slice or dice certain foods in order to fit into the physical dividers and make sure you’re getting the right amount of food.

For example, we made baked chicken thigh for our protein source but didn’t fit. The thigh didn’t fit not because the piece was too big but because the chicken bone was too long. So we had to de-bone the chicken thigh to make it fit.

Another example is with corn on the cob. We cut a piece to fit into the carb section but realized that we didn’t top the section with all corn, which means you’re getting less calories. So in this case we scraped off the corn until the compartment was full (see images below).

This not a huge problem but it does add time. Some foods will need to be cut in order to plate your food and you may have to plan dishes a bit more. It’s a little extra hassle but we didn’t expect PM to design their product to fit every type of food.

Portion Plate Competitors?

The PM Portion Plate seems to be a one-of-a-kind product. We searched online for a portion control tool, that’s adjustable, and can be used on any plate. But we couldn’t find a true competitor!

However, what you will find are portion control plates or divided plates with fixed compartments for carbs, vegetables and proteins (like the one’s below). These are fairly common, budget friendly, and made in plastic, ceramic and other materials.

But the downside is finding a portion control plate or divided plate with the portion sizes you want. Especially if you’re doing the diabetes plate method, the plate needs the correct portion sizes and has to be 9-inches. You’ll have to spend some time to find the right plate. And there’s also a chance of not finding the right plate and have to settle with the closest thing.

We also found that most portion plates simply don’t look very nice. These remind us of the plates in elementary school or plates for toddlers, something you wouldn’t want to use when eating with others.

Our Verdict

We give the Portions Master Portion Plate a score of 9/10! They claim it makes losing weight “as easy as 1-2-3” – and we mostly agree.

Counting calories, measuring or weighing food – all the hard things about portion control, the PM portion control plate tool makes easier. Simply place it on top of any plate, fill with food, and you’re done. You get the right portion sizes to lose weight and it promotes healthy eating habits. The price is also reasonable at just under $30. You can find fixed portion control plates at lower prices but none of those are adjustable and you’ll probably need to buy more than one plate.

The one downside with this portion control plate tool is it may take some extra prep time to make foods fit in the compartments. Be sure to factor in a few minutes extra to cut or dice up foods so you can fill the compartments fully.

Overall, we think the PM Portion Plate is a great tool to start working on your weight. You should still prep meals with healthy, minimally processed foods to see even better results. But just getting the right-sized portions on your plate is big step in the right direction that this tool makes super easy!

Review: FitVille Footwear

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For people with Type 2 diabetes, foot issues can make getting around painful and frustrating. That’s a big problem because walking is actually one of the best exercises for diabetes. Most shoes don’t have the comfort you need if you suffer from diabetes-related foot conditions, and can even make foot condition worse. So the DiaBettr team tried out FitVille shoes, one of the few shoe brands designed for people with diabetes or foot conditions.

FitVille’s Stride Core Running Shoe

Pros

  • Comfortable
  • Non-slip, feels steady
  • Prolonged walking/standing

Cons

  • Mediocre design
  • Limited color options
  • A lot of ankle space

FitVille’s Stride Core running shoes are designed for people with foot issues, like diabetes-related nerve damage. These conditions can make walking more painful because most shoes are too narrow and create friction. And you may not feel that friction due to numbness, making the foot condition worse.

FitVille’s shoes are made with their patented “PropelCore” dual-density soles, which they’ve designed to east foot discomfort. The Stride Core has a wide toe box to give extra room and uses a breathable upper (the entire part of the shoe that covers the foot) for more breathability and comfort.

Our Experience with FitVille shoes

We used FitVille’s Stride Core shoes doing mostly light-intensity walking, and short bursts of jogging on a treadmill. Our tester, Jeff, is a 43-year old male with a high BMI and exercises about once a week. Our tester used the men’s version but from our research, should be similar to the women’s version.

Photo Credit: DiaBettr.com

What We Like

One of the first things we noticed was how comfortable the shoes are. The padding and the sole gave the right amount of cushion. The shoes did feel a little loose around the ankles – which took some getting used to – but our feet felt snug and secure. We imagine the extra space is to let the shoes breath better. Our tester spent about 45 minutes with the shoes but said he could have spent over an hour walking in the shoes and would have little discomfort.

The other thing we noticed was walking felt more steady and balanced. The shoe’s wide base and anti-slip helps ‘plant’ your feet to the ground so you’re less likely to stumble. Even during light jogging, the shoes kept our tester steady and didn’t have to worry about slipping or tripping on the treadmill.

Lastly, we thought the Stride Core’s price was reasonable, which sells for about $90. That’s priced below from competitor Orthofeet.com where their shoes for diabetes are priced well above $100.

What We Don’t Like

The Stride Core’s bland design and limited color options are the biggest negatives. The azure colored shoes we tested had some yellow trim for contrast but is mostly just blue. The other color options are black and tan so you don’t have a variety to choose from.

The overall design is clean but does look a little bland. The brand’s “F” logo is on each side and doesn’t look too busy (a plus for us). But aside from basic lines and stitching, the overall design doesn’t really catch the eye.

There’s nothing wrong with simple designs but having only two other colors available is a drawback in terms of looks and appearance. And according to their website, FitVille only sells four other shoe models designed for diabetes. While competitor Orthofeet sells over a dozen models.

Our Verdict

We give FitVille’s Stride Core a score of 8/10. The shoes really do provide extra comfort and cushioning that you don’t find in most shoes. And the wide toe box and anti-slip feature makes your feet more secure, which is important when exercising.

But the bland design and lack of color options is what lowered the score for us. With competitor brands offering more styles (but at higher prices), it would be nice for FitVille to offer more colors to choose from.

If you care more about performance than design, then the FitVille’s Stride Core is a reasonably priced athletic shoe to start exercising and getting fit.

Why Walking is Perfect for Type 2 Diabetes

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Getting active is important for Type 2 diabetes self care but is one of the hardest things to do. Managing diabetes has a lot of daily tasks and exercise is often last on that list. If that’s the case, starting walking program is one of the best things to do to improve your overall health. Walking is an aerobic exercise that offers physical health benefits like increased blood flow and lower blood pressure, and reduces stress for mental wellness. It’s also a low impact movement which is best if you have aches, pains or mobility issues related to diabetes.

We go over the many health benefits of walking for people with diabetes, how to set realistic goals and things to do before taking a walk.

Disclosure: this post may contain affiliate links. This means we may get a payment if you make a purchase through the link – at no extra cost to you. Read our disclosure for more info.

How Walking Helps Diabetes

1) Low Impact on the Body

Walking is the perfect starter exercise because it’s low intensity and can fit any age and fitness level. Many people with diabetes have limited mobility or have higher body weight. This can make other exercises, like jogging or weight lifting, hard at first and even prevent someone from starting any exercise.

What’s great with a walking routine is that you control how easy or hard to go. If you have arthritis pain, joint pain or get tired easily, start with short walks or go at a slower pace. Over time taking a walk as part of your daily routine will strengthen muscles to help alleviate joint aches and help regain mobility.

And don’t worry if you can only do short walks at first. Even a 10-minute daily walk is valuable physical activity when you have a sedentary lifestyle. Eventually you want to work towards longer walks or moderate intensity walking (like a brisk walk) to see more health benefits.

2) Controls Blood Sugar Levels

Adding walking to your daily routine can lower and control blood sugar levels. Regular brisk walking is a moderate exercise that uses blood glucose for energy, which helps lowers blood glucose levels.

If you don’t get a lot of physical activity even short walks will improve your blood glucose. This study from the American Diabetes Association showed that short bouts of light intensity walking or simple resistance activities helped slow after-meal blood glucose and insulin increases.

People with diabetes often have other complications such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and nerve damage. These complications are associated with diabetes because chronically high blood glucose levels can restrict blood flow, damage blood vessels and lead to high cholesterol.

Like other aerobic exercises, regular walking boosts your cardiovascular fitness and heart health. Brisk walking increases heart rate as the heart pumps more oxygen throughout the body, which strengthens the heart and lungs. Blood circulation also increases and helps heal damaged blood vessels and nerves (or prevents damage from happening).

4) Doesn’t Make You Hungry

Walking is actually an exercise that doesn’t make you hungry, which is a huge benefit if you’re trying to reach a healthy weight. This study of overweight participants found that after 40 minutes of moderate pace walking, their hunger didn’t change and did not need to eat more calories.

Weight loss is mostly about eating less calories than your body uses. While more intense workouts can burn a lot of calories, they often leave you hungrier and more likely to overeat. Since you’re less likely to overeat after taking a walk, this makes weight loss easier if you’re on a restricted diet.

5) Improves Mental Health

Not only does walking boosts physical activity but it also improves mental wellness. Long walks alone gives you time away from distractions and clears your mental state. And walking with other people is a healthy way to maintain social relationships and peer support (important when managing diabetes).

Scientific research shows aerobic exercises (like walking) reduces anxiety and depression and walking through forest areas is effective in lowering negative moods. Also, a study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias showed that nursing home patients who participated in a certain walking program was associated with slower cognitive decline.

6) Walk Anywhere and Anytime

Not having enough time or inconvenience are common reasons that make diabetes self care hard for people. But a major benefit of walking is convenience!

Finding a place to walk is easy and walking different areas makes for more interesting walks to helps keep you from getting bored. You can also walk faster or a take brisk walk when you don’t have much time and still see the many benefits of walking. In this 2018 study, older adults tried walking sessions based on high intensity interval training (3-minute bouts of intense walking) and saw significant reductions in their blood glucose.

How much walking is good exercise?

The most important thing at first is to start walking regularly. This makes you commit time and get your body used to the physical activity. Questions like how to long to walk or how many miles to lose weight become more important after you have a walking routine.

Once you’re ready, an easy starting goal is to walk at least 2,000 steps per day, which is roughly equal to 1 mile or 30 minutes. After a week or so increase the goal to at least 2 miles / 4,000 steps per day or about an hour. The American Diabetes Association recommends an optimal goal of at least 3.2 miles or 6,400 steps a day for people with diabetes to see greater health benefits.

You can also set goals by increasing the intensity level such as walking faster, walking up an incline (either on a hill or treadmill), or using ankle weights.

Getting Ready for Walks

Walk After Meals

Time your walks after meals so your body uses up carbs released from eating. This helps keep blood glucose from spiking and make any blood glucose increases more gradual. This also helps lower the chance of having excess glucose in your blood.

Warm up

It’s always a good idea to warm up before exercising, especially if you don’t have an active lifestyle. Warming up increases blood flow to muscles and joints to prep the body for physical activity. For light walks you can gently stretch or deep breathe. Or do deep stretching, jumping jacks or stationary squats to get ready for a higher intensity walk.

Wear Proper Shoes

Some people with diabetes have foot numbness caused by nerve damage related to their diabetes. However, walking shoes that fit too tight can create friction and cause sores or blisters. And you may not feel the friction due to the numbness which makes the situation worse.

You can help prevent this by using shoes with a wider width or have good cushioning. There are actually companies that specialize in shoes for people with foot conditions or designed for diabetes, such as FitVille.com.

Take Care of Foot Pain

Having minor foot pain or aches is common (even in healthy adults) but can lower the quality of your walks. Over the counter products such as capsaicin cream or other pain relief ointments can help alleviate common pain or soreness. However you should consult your care provider for any severe or persistent pain.

Summary

Walking is one of the best ways for people with Type 2 diabetes to exercise regularly and start getting in better health. Regular walking offers many physical benefits – like reversing heart disease and controlling blood sugar – and mental health benefits of reducing stress. At the same time, it’s a low impact movement that’s safe for people with mobility issues or haven’t exercised in a while.

Over time you’ll want to add other exercises to maintain healthy blood sugar levels. But adding a daily walk is the best ‘first step’ to optimal health and diabetes self care!

Gestational Diabetes FAQ

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Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) is a health condition caused by high blood sugar levels during pregnancy.  If you’ve been recently diagnosed with GDM or know someone who is, there’s a lot to know about the condition and how to manage it.  We answer common questions on GDM to help find the answers you need.

What is Gestational Diabetes?

Gestational diabetes occurs when the mother has very high blood glucose levels during pregnancy.  It’s one type of diabetes that can lead to problems for the mother and the baby. But GDM can be managed in most cases and blood sugar levels will usually return to normal levels after birth.

What Causes GDM?

Gestational diabetes is due to hormonal changes during pregnancy, typically in the second or third trimester, that reduces the mother’s ability to use insulin efficiently. This is called insulin resistance.

Insulin is a hormone released by the pancreas that absorbs sugar (glucose) in the blood to use for energy (or stored for later use). Insulin resistance means the body can’t absorb as much glucose leading to high blood glucose levels.

Insulin resistance during pregnancy is actually common as the mother’s body tries to reserve glucose for the develop fetus.1 But when too much glucose is in the blood (hyperglycemia), then GDM can occur.

How is Gestational Diabetes Diagnosed?

The American Diabetes Association recommends different screening methods depending on the mother’s risk for diabetes.2

If the mother is at risk for diabetes, screening for GDM may happen before 15 weeks of pregnancy. This usually includes checking blood glucose levels to see if it exceeds fasting glucose of 110–125 mg/dL or A1C 5.9–6.4% (41–47 mmol/mol).

If the mother isn’t at risk of diabetes, GDM is usually screened at 24 – 28 weeks of pregnancy using the oral glucose tolerance test. This test involves drinking a special sugar solution followed by a blood test to see how much the blood sugar increases and decreases over certain times.

What Are Symptoms of GDM?

Gestational doesn’t show many obvious symptoms, which is why screening during pregnancy is important.  More frequent urination can be a symptom of GDM but it can also just be part of the pregnancy.

What Happens if GDM is not Controlled?

The baby becomes exposed to high levels of glucose, which increases the chances of the baby having an above average birth weight. And during childhood, these kids can have reduced insulin sensitivity and are more likely to have impaired glucose tolerance.3

The mother also has a higher chance of developing type 2 diabetes after pregnancy. Studies have shown that women with GDM have are 10x more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than women without GDM.

How Common is Gestational Diabetes?

GDM affects up to 10% of pregnancies in the U.S. every year. And GDM rates are rising due to higher rates of obesity, which is a risk factor of diabetes.

How do I Prevent GDM?

You can reduce the chances of GDM by keeping your blood sugar levels within normal range. But keep in mind there’s a higher chance of GDM if you have prediabetes, are overweight or have other risk factors for diabetes.

How do I manage GDM?

Similar to Type 2 diabetes, diet plays a big role in managing GDM. Generally, you want to limit your carb intake and avoid sugary foods and  highly refined carbs.

Exercise and staying active burns glucose and helps lower blood glucose levels. Exercising during pregnancy can be hard but even regular walking can help control GDM, especially walking after meals.

Insulin can also be prescribed to reach blood sugar targets, which is generally safe for the mother and baby.

What Can I Eat with GDM?

You can eat the same foods as before but will need to limit the amount of carbs you eat per meal and spread out those carbs throughout the day. The goal is to keep your blood glucose at a steady level – not too high and not too low.

So a typical day would include eating 3 meals a day with 1-2 servings of carbs. And 3 snacks between those meals with 1 service of carbs. Each serving of carbs should be no more than 15 grams.

Fiber and Blood Sugar

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Dietary fiber is associated with improving heart disease, lower blood cholesterol and protecting against other cardiovascular risk factors. But did you know fiber is also helpful for people with Type 2 diabetes. Dietary fibers can help minimize blood sugar spikes and are a part of a healthy diet to help control blood glucose levels. But how much fiber do people with diabetes actually need? And what are the best sources of fiber for controlling blood sugar? We answer these and other questions and tell all you need to know about fiber and Type 2 diabetes.

What is Fiber

Dietary fiber is the portion of plant foods that can’t be fully digested the body. Fibers are complex carbohydrates, such as polysaccharides and oligosaccharides, but don’t cause blood sugar increases since the fiber can’t be absorbed by the body.

Fibers is commonly categorized as either soluble or insoluble fiber.

Soluble Fiber

Soluble or viscous fiber absorbs or binds with water to form a gel-like substance during digestion. This then slows the absorption of food and ferments in the colon.

Common sources of soluble fiber include oat bran, beans and seeds as well as certain fruit. (We go over more fiber foods further below)

Insoluble Fiber

Insoluble fibers don’t dissolve in water and adds bulk in the colon. This bulk helps prevent constipation and increase bowel movements by pushing things through the stomach and intestines.

Common sources of insoluble fiber include many leafy green raw vegetables, wheat bran and other whole grains. (We go over more fiber foods further below)

Health Benefits of Fiber

Cardiovascular Health

Several studies have shown that having a higher dietary fiber intake is correlated with lower rates of coronary heart disease, vascular disease and stroke.

More studies are needed to document the exact cause and effect of fiber intake and reduced heart disease. However, it’s understood that fiber helps reduce heart disease risk through different ways such as improving blood lipids, lowering blood pressure and improving insulin sensitivity.

Cholesterol and Fat

Soluble fiber can also lower cholesterol levels by a modest amount. The viscous, gel-like substance that forms from soluble fiber binds to fat and cholesterol, and carries them through the digestive system.

This analysis of 67 studies found that various soluble fibers had reduced total cholesterol and LDL by small amounts.

Gut Health

Certain kinds of fiber are prebiotic which ferment in the digestive tract and feed the good bacteria the gut. Prebiotic and probiotic foods increases the diversity of the gut microbiome which can decrease inflammatory conditions.

Studies have linked dietary fiber intake to preventing colorectal cancer and tumors.

Fiber and Blood Glucose

Dietary fiber can improve key health markers for people with diabetes. Soluble fiber turns into a gel-like substance which slows digestion of food including absorption of carbs.

This has the effect of flattening after-meal blood sugar increases and helps keep Hemoglobin A1C (A1C) levels under control.

And while fiber is technically a carb, it’s not digested by the body. So dietary fiber doesn’t raise blood sugar levels like simple carbs do.

How Much Fiber do People with Diabetes Need?

The American Diabetes Association (ADA) recommends that the regular fiber intake goal set by the USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) is sufficient for people with diabetes.

Based on the 2020-2025 DGA, the minimum daily fiber intake goal is 14 grams of fiber per 1,000 calories consumed. For adults 18 and over, this would be between 22 – 34 grams of fiber per day.

But what about a high fiber diet?

Studies on high fiber diets and blood sugar control have shown only modest results.

This 2012 analysis reviewed 15 studies involving people with diabetes and dietary fiber intake. The participants consumed between 4 to 40 grams of fiber and on average, A1C was reduced only by -0.26%.

Also, this randomized control study had participants with Type 2 diabetes consume either a low glycemic index (GI) legume diet or whole wheat products for three months. The low-GI legume diet reduced A1c by −0.5% and the high wheat fiber diet reduced A1C by −0.3%.

Given these modest reductions, high fiber intake alone likely won’t get your blood sugar levels within normal range. Plus you run the risk of bloating, gas and upset stomach from eating too much fiber.

Getting you daily fiber intake

We know that soluble fiber can help with blood sugar control. But the best sources of soluble fiber should be from whole foods and minimally processed whole grains.

Whole foods not only contain fiber but other important vitamins and minerals. Also, you want to choose lower carb sources of fiber to minimize blood sugar spikes.

Below are some lower carb options and their fiber content (grams of dietary fiber per 1 cup servings) based on the USDA food database.

Vegetables

  • Brussel sprouts: 4g / 11g total carbs
  • Collard greens: 8g / 11g total carbs
  • Acorn squash: 9g / 30g total carbs
  • Artichoke: 10g / 20g total carbs
  • Butternut squash: 6.5g / 21g total carbs

Fruit

  • Raspberries: 8g / 15g total carb
  • Guava: 9g / 24g total carb
  • Avocados: 15g / 20g total carbs
  • Passion fruit (granadilla): 25g / 55g total carbs
Legumes, Seeds and Nuts
  • Hazelnuts: 13g / 23g total carbs
  • Almonds: 18g / 31g total carbs
  • Red kidney beans: 16g / 39g total carbs
  • Lentils: 16g / 38g total carbs
  • Navy beans: 19g / 47g total carbs
  • Flaxseeds: 45g / 49g total carbs
  • Chia seeds*: 34g / 42g total carbs (*per 100g serving)
Whole Grains
  • Wild rice: 3g / 35g total carbs
  • Oat bran : 6g / 25g total carbs
  • Quinoa: 5g / 39g total carbs
  • Pearled barley: 6g / 44g total carbs

Supplementing with Fiber

Getting your regular fiber intake from whole foods is ideal but we know that’s not always possible. Taking fiber supplements is one way to increase your dietary fiber when you don’t have access to the right foods.

A fiber supplement can be a pill, capsule, powder or even a chewable tablet. And they can be made from different sources with the most common from psyllium husk, inulin, and methylcellulose.

Fiber supplements are generally safe but remember that too much fiber consumption can cause bloating, gas or other side effects. Be sure to follow usage instructions and drink plenty of liquids when supplementing with fiber.

Summary

The health benefits of fiber are well known including for people with Type 2 diabetes. Having fiber daily should be part of your diabetes care since it can slow absorption of carbs and there are many low-carb fiber options. Plus high fiber foods can help prevent cardiovascular disease, lower cholesterol, and benefits gut health.

But be careful about eating too much fiber (e.g. over 50 g per day). Increasing fiber intake may not lower your blood sugar as much as you think. And you run the risk of bloating, gas or upset stomach.

Remember, healthy living and diabetes care doesn’t have to be complicated. Focus on eating whole foods and you’re likely to get enough daily fiber. And if you remember to stay active and exercise regularly, you’ll make big gains when it comes to taking control of Type 2 diabetes, naturally.

Meal Planning Hacks

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Meal planning is important for managing diabetes but can be a lot of work. These simple hacks will help Type 2 diabetics make meal planning more convenient and time saving, without limiting too variety.

Stock up on essential spices and herbs

Since every good meal starts with the right seasonings, stock up your pantry with essential spices and herbs. This gives you more options for recipes so that meal planning doesn’t get boring.  Also, most spices and herbs are fairly inexpensive and can last months so buy the larger sizes, when you can.

But what are the “essentials”? You can always stock up on your favorites (they should be low sugar) but below are seasonings we see used in many popular recipes.

  • Powders: garlic, onion, chili, paprika, cumin, cayenne, and chili flakes.
  • Herbs: bay leaves, basil, oregano, parsley, and thyme.

Bonus tip: make your own seasoning blends and store in containers.  You’ll save time with meal prep plus you can make low-sugar or low-salt versions of popular blends.

For example, BBQ seasoning is usually salt, pepper, garlic, onion, chili, paprika and cayenne along with brown sugar.  Just remove the brown sugar (or limit to a small amount) and now you have a BBQ rub that’s better suited for your diet.

Quick note on Oils

You’ll want to have oils in stock and we suggest olive, coconut, or avocado oils. Clarified butter is also a good option and is easy to make at home (CulinaryHill.com has a quick tutorial).

We suggest avoiding vegetable and seed oils (like canola, corn, etc.) because of the high amounts of omega-6 fatty acids. Eating more omega-6 makes it easier to exceed the desired ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids, which helps reduce risks of chronic diseases, based on this summary from PubMed.gov.

Buy proteins in bulk, portion and freeze

Go to your local wholesale club store and buy a variety of poultry, meat and fish. Portion them to freeze using plastic storage bags or wrap.  We suggest portions of at least 4 servings, which should cover meals for most the week.  Just anticipate giving a day and a half to set out to defrost.

Added tip: when using the oven, cook two (or three) proteins together even if they’re for different dishes.  A lot of recipes actually say to cook meat or poultry at around 350 degrees but differ in cook times.

Cooking different proteins together is a simple meal planning hack that can double the number of meals you can make with little added time.

Our opinion on proteins

Proteins are important for a balanced diet. And they typically have lower glycemic loads than carbohydrates, which is important for keeping your hemoglobin A1C in range.

In fact a study published by the American Diabetes Association showed that dietary proteins had a small contribution to endogenous glucose production. In other words the proteins resulted only in a small increase in blood sugar, which is a key goal for keeping your A1C within range.

We also suggest animal-based protein over plant-based. And we prefer proteins with moderate amounts of fat such as pork shoulder, chicken thighs (skin on) or beef chuck. This is because they generally have higher energy density per serving, giving you more energy with less volume consumed.

Animal-based protein also contain many essential amino acids, which are at the core of many vital processes (per Healthline). For example, the nutrition data of just 6 oz. of chicken breast contains all 9 essential amino acids.

But mod- to high-fat proteins should not be paired with refined or starchy carbohydrates like grains, corn or white potatoes. Doing so creates a meal with high calorie, high glycemic load. Something to avoid since it will spike your A1C and create excess calories, which can then turn into body fat.

Use appliances to make things efficient

Investing in a slow-cooker or pressure cooker is a popular meal planning hack.  You can make large portions and the timed cooking is very convenient. And they can save you money by being able to cook tougher cuts of meat, which tend to cost less (especially if you buy in bulk). Making hearty stews and soups are perfect for these cookers – just toss all the ingredients together and set it aside to cook.

You should also invest in food storage containers of different sizes. You’ll be cooking a lot of food so you’ll want to store them into portions for a single meal, family servings or snack sizes. And look into containers with dividers inside to help take a lot of the guesswork out of portioning meals.

Summary

Planning meals is important for managing Type 2 diabetes. But we know it can take a lot effort.  With these meal planning hacks, you can make a variety of tasty dishes while saving some time and effort.

And if you still feel overwhelmed to start meal planning, just keep it simple! There’s already a lot to do for proper diabetes self-care (which we wrote about here) and why keeping it simple is all you need to get started.